Europe’s defence landscape is shifting fast. Our new Böll EU Brief maps more than 160 defence agreements among EU countries, the UK and Ukraine – most signed since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. It shows how bilateral cooperation boosts trust and speed, but also risks fragmentation without an EU-level strategy.
Europe’s defence map is being redrawn. A new Böll EU Brief by Roderick Kefferpütz and Anika Bruck tracks over 160 defence partnerships signed since 2014 among EU countries, the UK and Ukraine – most of them after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Bilateralism boosts trust, interoperability and procurement speed, but also risks duplication and fragmentation. To turn this patchwork into strategy, the EU and NATO should map and integrate these deals into joint planning, strengthen the European Defence Agency’s role, and use bilaterals to offset declining US support.
Key findings:
- Europe’s defence map is being redrawn. Our unique dataset captures over 160 bilateral and plurilateral defence arrangements signed since 2014 between EU Member States, UK and Ukraine. Most of these partnerships emerged after Russia’s full-scale invasion, with 2024-2025 alone accounting for more than half.
- Bilateralism brings both strength and strain. These partnerships deepen trust, build interoperability and speed up procurement. They can be a crucial foundation for the EU’s Defence Readiness Roadmap 2030. But they also risk producing duplication, inefficiencies and a fragmented patchwork of commitments.
- Turning bilateralism into strategy is essential. To move from patchwork to phalanx, the EU and NATO should map and monitor agreements, plug them into NATO and EU planning, put them on the NATO- EU agenda, consider the European Defence Agency as a matchmaking hub, raise the minimum participation requirement for EU defence procurement, and use bilaterals to offset declining US support.
Roderick Kefferpütz, Director, Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung EU | Global Dialogue: "Member States are signing bilateral defence agreements at record speed. That shows how urgent the security need has become. But speed without strategy brings disorder. Bilateral threads must be woven into a coherent European pattern, because deterrence only works when Europe stands as one. Putin forces us to strengthen deterrence; Trump forces us to be self-reliant. The answer is unity and collective strength: all for all, not everyone with everyone. That means systematically mapping these partnerships, anchoring them in NATO and EU planning, and empowering the European Defence Agency as a coordination hub."
Hannah Neumann MEP, Greens/EFA coordinator in the Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET) and member of the Defence Committee (SEDE): "This study clearly shows that EU Member States understand the benefits of defence cooperation. Bilateral partnerships are a start, but to truly strengthen Europe’s defence readiness, we need common action through EU programmes. The structures and instruments are in place, including possibilities for Ukraine to participate. Now EU Member States must use them to make development and procurement more efficient and cost-effective.”
Sara Nanni MdB, Defence Policy Spokesperson at the Green parliamentary group in the German Bundestag: "Understanding how European defence cooperation shapes our collective readiness begins with a clear picture of what is already happening bilaterally on the ground. This analysis shows that while Germany is among the most active players bilaterally, it should better integrate existing initiatives with European strategies."
Read the full Böll EU Brief 05/2025 | Phalanx of defence pacts? Mapping bilateral defence partnerships in Europe by Roderick Kefferpütz and Anika Bruck.
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